Experts hope a simple
message about the risk of breast and ovarian cancers will
raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and
breastfeeding duration for new mothers.

The Early
Life Nutrition Coalition, a subcommittee of the Perinatal
Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) is using
Mother’s Day to highlight that while the health benefits
of mother’s milk for the newborn child are increasingly
understood, many women are unaware of the protective effect
of breastfeeding may have on two common cancers effecting
New Zealand women.

Early Life Nutrition Coalition
New Zealand spokesperson, Dr Clare Wall says breastfeeding
has never been more important – both for the mother’s
long-term health and for the development of her child’s
defences against disease in later life.

Current
research reveals the cancer-protecting effect of sustained
breastfeeding.

• Women who breastfeed for 12
months reduce their risk of some breast cancers by 26 per
cent. This compares to just a 7 per cent reduction if
breastfeeding stops at six months.• Women who
breastfeed for 12 months reduce their risk of ovarian
cancer by 37 per cent. This compares to just a 17 per cent
reduction if breastfeeding stops at six months.

Dr
Wall says: “The message on Mother’s Day is simple –
breastfeeding is good for mums and babies and the longer
they breastfeed after the introduction of complementary
foods there may be less risk of developing some types of
breast and ovarian cancers.

“Sustained
breastfeeding after the introduction of solid foods appears
to be the key. It’s perfectly fine to supplement with
formula if this allows the mother to keep breastfeeding for
longer.

“More research is needed to establish if
breastfeeding a second or third child provides cumulative
benefit against cancer risk.”

Dr Wall says:
“Cancer is a national health priority, and so there should
be strategies to increase the rate and duration of
breastfeeding. Breast milk is truly amazing and
breastfeeding has never been more important as a
preventative health measure for Mum and baby.”

New
Zealand women initiate breastfeeding at high rates, but stop
early.

Dr Wall says: “New Zealand has great
breastfeeding initiation rates, however despite great
intentions many infants are not breastfed exclusively to six
months, with even fewer babies being fed breast milk12
months. There are significant benefits to mothers own
health by breast feeding beyond 6 months."

Ever
increasing rates of obesity and allergy may be linked to the
decline in the duration of breastfeeding• Research
confirms that breastfed babies are less likely to develop
obesity in later life than those raised on infant formula
and the risk is reduced most in those babies that are breast
fed for longer. Receiving any breast milk seems to be the
key.• Breastfed babies are at reduced risk of allergy,
notably food allergies and eczema, than those fed with
formula.• The child’s risk of acute middle ear
infection can be reduced through breastfeeding for 12
months.

Dr Wall concludes: “Breast remains best in
2018. The Early Life Nutrition Coalition’s challenge is
how best to support mothers and families to get more of
these newborns breastfed for longer.”

About
the Early Life Nutrition Coalition

“Much of what
we say to expectant parents is focused on what not to do
while pregnant,” says ELN Coalition Member Dr Clare
Wall.

“We’re trying to focus on the positive
steps that can be taken. There is a huge opportunity to
ensure future generations are getting the best possible
start to a healthy and long life,” she says.

“It
is the ELN Coalition’s aim to promote actions that can be
taken during this critical window of opportunity. While the
ELN Coalition would like to facilitate behaviour change in
some areas, our aim is to reinforce the positive steps
parents can take to enhance the future health of generations
to come,” she added.

The New Zealand Health Survey
2016/17 found that:• around 1 in 8 children (aged
2–14 years) were obese (12%)• a further 21% were
children were overweight but not obese• 18% of Māori
children were obese• 29% of Pacific children were
obese• children living in the most deprived areas were
2.5 times as likely to be obese as children living in the
least deprived areas[1]• the child obesity rate
increased from 8% in 2006/07 to 12% in 2016/17.

Founding members of the Early Life Nutrition Coalition
(@EarlyLifeHealth #EarlyLifeHealth #ELNCoalition), which is
a sub-committee of the Perinatal Society of Australia and
New Zealand, include: Australian Diabetes Educators
Association; Australian Diabetes Society; Caring and Living
as Neighbours; The Children’s Nutrition Research Centre,
University of Queensland; Danone Early Life Nutrition;
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Society;
Dietitians Society of Australia; Healthy Start Workforce
Project; The Liggins Institute; Menzies Institute for
Medical Research; Murdoch Children’s Research Institute;
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia; United Way Australia;
and the University of Auckland.

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